Feng Yin Tian Xia Chapter 2

Chapter 2
Light of the candles reflects against her polished nails. It causes their colours to shine brightly, seems like they were laughing at her hand, how she cannot even hold a small wine cup.
Is she poisoned? Tendon Weakening Powder? Or more vicious poison?
Only a moment ago, she praised the wine in her heart, it was sweet, rich and mellow tasting than she ever had drank, a bride should drink this kind of wine. She never once thought this was actually a cup of poisoned wine.
She has just returned to Beijing a few days ago and idled for several days, her vigilance will be degenerate to such an extent. Which bride would have thought of drinking a cup of poisoned wine on her wedding night?
She wants to take a look at Ji Feng Li, whether he was also poisoned. Because of a mandarin duck embroidery bridal veil on her head, she cannot see anything clearly besides red colour of her veil. By this time, she cannot even lift a thin layer of the bridal veil. All of her strength drained out of her body, she is unable to get up out of bed and slowly falls limp onto the ground.
If it was in the past, a cup of poisoned wine could not take her down easily no matter how strong the poison was. Now, she is no difference with ordinary people without her internal force¹.
¹Internal Martial Art
Since returned to Beijing, Dad sealed her internal force, fear she would get into trouble. In fact, she knew that Daddy was afraid she would not want to marry Ji Feng Li and flee from this arranged marriage. However, Daddy did not know her, since she was young, she felt admiration for Ji Feng Li.
Unlike Beijing’s aristocrats who have backing from their families in Imperial Court, Ji Feng Li originally was a poor scholar who relied on his own capabilities.
“Come!” Hua Zhu Yu hears Ji Feng Li’s voice in her head. His voice is light, like a warm South wind. She comes to a realization upon hearing this warm South wind kind of voice. Obviously, Ji Feng Li was not poisoned.
Hua Zhu Yu laughs, a smile is slowly blooming upon her face, after a while, it fades a bit and eventually freezes on her lips.
She should have thought, such an outstanding person like Ji Feng Li who has ten thousand people at his command, in this world which people could poison under his nose, except it was his own doing.
Two maids walk into the room gingerly and sweep away shards scattered on the ground. The maids do not know she is kneeling on a shard of the cup. A sharp pain is spreading in her knee, tingling that reminds her all of this is not a dream.
“Why?” Hua Zhu Yu asks coldly. Why did he do this to her? He did not need to go so far as to poison her just to break up this marriage right?
She really cannot figure out!
Was this the best lover in Yu City ladies’ hearts would do?
She does not hear an answer, only feel two shining eyes looking at her, it is sharp and deep. Hua Zhu Yu’s heart is filled with thrill. Such sharp eyes, his existence cannot be ignored.
A man’s slender hand reachs toward her body slowly, that hand fingers touch a tip of the veil, seems to want to uncover the red bridal veil. However, his fingers which about to lift the red veil pause and then suddenly withdraw. He does not uncover her veil, perhaps he does not want to see her!
“Why do you ask it? Even the cup will not ask why do you throw it!” he answers calmly.
Of course the cup will not ask because it is a thing!
Is she in his eyes same as that cup? Even she was dashed to pieces, she did not need to ask why.
Hua Zhu Yu’s eyelashes tremble, her lips curl with a hint of sneer.
No one speaks and the room goes silent, while there is a sound of someone walks gingerly coming from outside.
“Xiangye….” a maid whispers at the door to announce her presence, “Chang gong gong² from Palace comes to announce an imperial edict.”
²gong gong: eunuch
“Arrange an incense table to receice the imperial edict here!” Ji Feng Li says lightly.
Two maids arrange an incense table in bridal chamber hurriedly. After a while, brocade curtains are opened, there is a numerous and diverse sound of footsteps, an old chamberlain in his high-pitched voice shouts: “Hua Zhu Yu, please receive an imperial edict….”
Two maids kneel before the incense table and that Chang gong gong starts to read out the edict.
Hua Zhu Yu did not think this edict was inteded for her. No wonder Ji Feng Li commanded to arrange the incense table here. After he finished the day in worship hall, he left hastily, she heard that he went to Palace. He should be aware this edict is inteded for her or maybe it was requested by him.
The edict content is very simple, she, Hua Zhu Yu will be sent and married to a Kingdom in North.
She will be sent to marry!
If she did not remember incorrectly, the one who will go and marry is Wen Wan, a daughter of Grand Tutor Wen.
Ever since South Kingdom has defeated Western Liang, South Kingdom’s influence is becoming increasingly powerful in various states. Eastern Yan and North Kingdom have sent an envoy came to befriend with South Kingdom.
A few days ago, a Crown Prince of North Kingdom sought a marriage alliance and that is a marriage to take an Imperial Consort.
However, no one is willing to go to North Kingdom and marry its Crown Prince. Between four Kingdoms, North Kingdom has a frigid climate. South Women are not fit to live there. Previously, North Kingdom had taken a Princess from other state, because she could not adapt to cold climate, less than a year she got cold and eventually died young.
Furthermore, Prince of North Kingdom is said to be very oppressive. Emperor is naturally reluctant to marry off his only daughter, Huang Fu Yan who is a pampered and favorite child, to North Kingdom’s Prince and to let her suffer a lot of hardships. Therefore, it is promised to choose a daughter from imperial officials.
An envoy of North Kingdom requested several paintings of most prestigious imperial officials’ daughters in South Kingdom and has delivered them to North Kingdom as quickly as possible³. Finally, North Kingdom’s Prince chose Wen Wan. Although Wen Was was reluctant, but it was difficult to disobey a sacred decree. She heard that Ministry of Rites has sent to hundred soldiers, and tomorrow early in the morning along with an envoy of North Kingdom escorts Wen Wan to North Kingdom.
³Actually I simplified this sentence, originally, the novel used this idiom 快馬加鞭 (kuài mǎ jiā biān) which literally means to spur on a swift (making an effort to accelerate the speed of progress in order to develop rapidly and advance as quickly as possible).
Now, all of a sudden, the Emperor issues an edict, orders her to go to North Kingdom and marry its Crown Prince. The Emperor was getting old that he seems to forget she get married according to his will, but it is not mentioned in the edict and she is just referred as Miss Hua.
Miss Hua?!
Turning his hand palm up he gathers the clouds, turning his hand palm down he turns them to rain ¹¹, hide the sky with one hand¹², do whatever he pleases.
This is exactly the Emperor!
¹¹翻手为云覆手变雨 (fān shǒu wéi yún fù shǒu biàn yǔ) : very poweful and capable.
¹² 一手遮天 ( yī shǒu zhē tiān) : to hide the truth from ma.s.ses.
Chang gong gong has completed his task to read out imperial edict, he holds the edict in his hands and arrogantly says: “Please Miss Hua receives the imperial edict!”
Hua Zhu Yu’s knees do not move nor does she speaks!
A silence in the room.
“Please Miss receives the imperial edict!”
Chang gong gong in high voice shouts again.
Even if she could do it, Hua Zhu Yu still would not move. However, even though she is unwilling, two maids forcefully help her to stand up, hold both her hands to take that bright yellow edict.
In her whole life, this is her first time feeling “They are the knife and cutting board, we are the fish and the meat”, so powerless. She feels humiliated for the first time in her life.———
“Hold on!” At lenght she speaks.
Her voice is not loud, the tone is very light, but everyone who listens to it can feel cold murderous intent in this tranquil voice.
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Ji Feng Li is one of male leads, so what do you think of him?
I’m the kind of person who holds on to grudge (not in real life). I have this tendency of “poisoning my own heart”. Sometimes, when I have read to many sweet and fluffy novels, I will want to read angsty novels where I can hate the male lead(s) for treating the first female lead badly. I will put him on my blacklist and decide to never forgive him for whatever reason(s) he has, not that easily… haha… (Till the newest chapter of Black Bellied Prince’s Stunning Abandoned Consort in Suteki’s blog, I still do not forgive Mo Wen Chen yet :p ).
How about you? Clearly here, Ji Feng Li made a bad impression to us reader in this chapter, will he be able to make this up? Could you forgive him for whatever reasons that he did this to our female lead?